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Spieluhr (song)
Spieluhr (Music Box) is the seventh track of the album Mutter. The lyrics recall a German children's song with the lyric Hoppe, hoppe Reiter (slang for up and down, as riding a horse). The song entails a young child who pretended to be dead, because it wanted to be alone. So a group (presumably the townspeople) buried the child with a music box in its hands in a graveyard (referred to as Gottes acker, or God's field) without ceremony. The child awakes, winds the music box, and sings with it from the ground, telling only that its heart beats no longer. While celebrating the holiday of Totensonntag (Sunday of the dead, a holiday taking place on the last Sunday before Advent in November. It's the day when Protestant Christians remember their dead), the townspeople hear the child's song, and come to its rescue, unearthing it and "saving the small heart." The chorus features a duet between Till Lindemann and Khira Li Lindemann, the daughter of Richard Kruspe. Special features of the track are the pinging of a music box, and the faint thump of a heart, which begins when Till sings "...saved the small heart." The song features a Xylophone which can be heard during the intro and outro of the song. Lyrics & Translation Ein kleiner Mensch stirbt nur zum Schein wollte ganz alleine sein das kleine Herz stand still für Stunden so hat man es für tot befunden es wird verscharrt in nassem Sand mit einer Spieluhr in der Hand Der erste Schnee das Grab bedeckt hat ganz sanft das Kind geweckt in einer kalten Winternacht ist das kleine Herz erwacht Als der Frost ins Kind geflogen hat es die Spieluhr aufgezogen eine Melodie im Wind und aus der Erde singt das Kind Hoppe hoppe Reiter und kein Engel steigt herab mein Herz schlägt nicht mehr weiter nur der Regen weint am Grab hoppe hoppe Reiter eine Melodie im Wind mein Herz schlägt nicht mehr weiter und aus der Erde singt das Kind Der kalte Mond in voller Pracht hört die Schreie in der Nacht und kein Engel steigt herab nur der Regen weint am Grab Zwischen harten Eichendielen wird es mit der Spieluhr spielen eine Melodie im Wind und aus der Erde singt das Kind Hoppe hoppe Reiter und kein Engel steigt herab mein Herz schlägt nicht mehr weiter nur der Regen weint am Grab hoppe hoppe Reiter eine Melodie im Wind mein Herz schlägt nicht mehr weiter und aus der Erde singt das Kind Hoppe hoppe Reiter mein Herz schlägt nicht mehr weiter Am Totensonntag hörten sie aus Gottes Acker diese Melodie da haben sie es ausgebettet das kleine Herz im Kind gerettet Hoppe hoppe Reiter eine Melodie im Wind mein Herz schlägt nicht mehr weiter und auf der Erde singt das Kind hoppe hoppe Reiter und kein Engel steigt herab mein Herz schlägt nicht mehr weiter nur der Regen weint am Grab A small human only pretends to die it wanted to be completely alone the small heart stood still for hours so they decided it was dead it is being buried in wet sand with a music box in its hand The first snow covers the grave it woke the child very softly in a cold winter night the small heart is awakened As the frost flew into the child it wound up the music box a melody in the wind and the child sings from the ground Up and down, rider and no angel climbs down my heart does not beat anymore only the rain cries on the grave up and down, rider a melody in the wind my heart does not beat anymore and the child sings from the ground The cold moon, in full magnificence it hears the cries in the night and no angel climbs down only the rain cries on the grave Between hard oak boards it will play with the music box a melody in the wind and the child sings from the ground Up and down, rider and no angel climbs down my heart does not beat anymore only the rain cries on the grave up and down, rider a melody in the wind my heart does not beat anymore and the child sings from the ground Up and down, rider my heart does not beat anymore On Totensonntag they heard this melody from god's field then they unearthed it they saved the small heart in the child Up and down, rider a melody in the wind my heart does not beat anymore and the child sings on the ground up and down, rider and no angel climbs down my heart does not beat anymore only the rain cries on the grave Translation notes #The verb "verscharren" means to bury, specifically without ceremony. #"Hoppe hoppe Reiter" is a line from a German children's song. "Hoppe hoppe" is slang for up and down, as in the movement when you are riding a horse. #"Totensonntag" translates to "Sunday of the dead". This is a holiday celebrated on the last Sunday before Advent in November. It is the day when Protestant Christians remember their dead. #"Gottesacker" means "god's field" but refers to a graveyard. #Several parts of this translation lack the poetry of the German original (a necessary sacrifice in most translations, but pertinent here because Lindemann is actually a published poet). Two quick examples would be the oft-repeated bit "und aus der Erde singt das Kind" which is translated as "and the child sings from the ground." In fact, the German original reads "and from the Earth sings the child." To the English ear it not only sounds more archaic (it is), but the emphasis is clearly meant to be on the Earth, not the child. It's the sensibility of hearing a faint melody emanate from beneath the soil. The other one would be the phonetic play of "wird es mit der Spieluhr spielen" ("it will with the music-box play" is a more accurate translation, rather than the given "it will play with the music box"). Apart from the phonetic play which is impossible to reproduce in translation, what's lost is--again--the order of emphasis. de:Spieluhr es:Spieluhr